Hymenachne aquatic grass, Hymenachne acutigluma was planted in the wastewater from intensive striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) cultivating ponds containing 2.1 mg N/L, which was enriched with a serious of inorganic phosphorus concentrations. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with three replications in the net house for 42 days. The results showed that P concentrations did not significantly affect the growth of Hymenachne. The presence of high P concentrations resulted in the increase of P content in plant tissues leading to higher phosphorus absorption at the P levels of 8 and 10 mg P/L. H. acutigluma removed 12.1–27.6% P from 88.3–95.9% P in the wastewater of striped catfish pond. This result indicated the low concentrations of N (2.1 mg N/L) and of 1–10 mg P/L were not optimal for the growth of H. acutigluma.Hymenachne acutigluma, intensive striped catfish, wastewater, phosphorus, biomass, nutrient uptake.

Intensive striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) farming has recently expanded owing to its economic benefits but it has led to severe aquatic pollution. In this study, a batch surface-constructed wetland system cultivated with Hymenachne acutigluma grass was designed to treat wastewater collected from catfish ponds. The planted wetland system showed effective operation, as 81.7% of 3 NO -N, − 63.6% of + 4 NH -N, and 77.5% of 3 4PO -P − (w/w) in the wastewater were removed over four months. Besides, the wetland significantly decreased the chemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids from the wastewater. The absorption by the grass resulted in the removal of 20.3 and 22.2% of the total nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from wastewater, respectively. The determination of the nutrient mass balance in the planted system showed that phosphorus in the wastewater was mainly removed through sediment deposition, while a large amount of nitrogen was not lost because of the sediment deposition and plant uptake. Moreover, H. acutigluma cultured in the system can serve as food for cattle. This study shows an ecofriendly approach for the effective remediation of wastewater obtained from the farming of intensive striped catfish.